Mayor Richard Daley's administration sued by its own watchdog

The city watchdog agency charged with rooting out City Hall corruption sued Mayor Richard Daley's administration on Wednesday, accusing it of thwarting an investigation into possible wrongdoing by current and former employees.

The inspector general's office wants Daley's top lawyer, Mara Georges, to hand over documents relating to a 2006 no-bid contract awarded to a former city worker.

The city's first deputy inspector general, Mary E. Hodge, sued Georges in Cook County Chancery Court, asking a judge to order the full release of the subpoenaed documents.

The suit does not identity the contractor or any current and former employees who are under investigation. The suit states that the investigation "to date suggests that the city's process for awarding the contract under investigation was manipulated by city employees."

According to court records, Georges turned over some documents but refused to release other information, citing attorney-client privilege. Hodge said Georges withheld some communications among city lawyers, others between lawyers and city workers, and lawyers' notes and charts related to the investigation.

"The (inspector general) is of the belief the documents redacted and withheld by the Law Department -- the communications and notes -- are directly relevant to the ... investigation," the suit states. Georges' refusal to turn over the documents has prevented the inspector general from "completing the investigation into government misconduct."